Telematics units within mobile vehicles provide subscribers with connectivity to a telematics service provider (TSP). The TSP provides the subscriber with an array of services ranging from emergency call handling and stolen vehicle recovery to diagnostics monitoring and turn-by-turn navigation. Telematics units are often provisioned and activated at a point of sale when a subscriber purchases a telematics-equipped vehicle. Upon activation, the telematics unit is utilized to provide a subscriber with the telematics services.
A service conventionally provided by TSPs to users of telematics units is GPS navigation, which includes the provision of Turn-by-Turn (TBT) directions. In addition to GPS navigation being provided to drivers through GPS-based navigation aid devices (referred to herein as “GPS devices”) integrated into or in communication with telematics units, GPS navigation may also be provided through stand-alone GPS devices.
To utilize GPS navigation services provided through a TSP, a user of the telematics unit provides a route request to the TSP. The route request includes a destination entered or selected by the user. The starting point for the route request is entered or selected by the user, or is the current location of the telematics unit. After the route request is sent to the TSP, the TSP sends corresponding route information to the telematics unit, which may include directions (e.g. provided through a display and/or through vocal instructions) to the user based on a calculated course from the user's current location to the user's destination.
When a user does not follow the directions and goes off-course (i.e., when the position of the vehicle is not on the calculated course), the telematics unit sends a reroute request to the TSP. The user manually sends a reroute request, for example, by entering a new destination. The TSP responds to reroute requests by sending route information to the telematics unit including directions based on a recalculated course from the user's updated current location or entered starting point to the appropriate destination.
The communications between the telematics unit and the TSP occur over a wireless network and are facilitated by a wireless carrier that provides communication services to the TSP. Both the wireless carrier and the TSP may independently retain records of communications related to route and reroute requests. However, because these records are retained independently, there is currently no way to identify records maintained by the wireless carrier that correspond to particular records maintained by the TSP.
The above body of information is provided for the convenience of the reader. The foregoing is a discussion of problems discovered and/or appreciated by the inventors, and is not an attempt to review or catalog the prior art.